. >> reporter: outside boston, life is not exactly turning out the way 57-year-old carol green expected after 25 years of work in retail and health care. >> my boss sat down with me and told me that i did a wonderful job and that my job was eliminated-- nothing personal, just business. >> reporter: that was a year ago. she got $515 a week from massachusetts for six months. a federal program extend those checks. but a few weeks ago, she got a letter from the government. >> the nuts and bolts of it was that it didn't matter how long your extension was, as of the 29th, because of the fiscal cliff, your benefits were ended. that's it, boom. >> reporter: done. >> done deal. >> reporter: the federal program that extends unemployment benefits would cost $30 billion next year. critics say that's too much for any serious deficit reduction plan. what is this going to mean to your life? >> i have enough money, probably, to last me through january. >> reporter: so what are you going to do? >> i don't know. >> reporter: are you scared? >> very scared. people across the country are in my situation. e